Crank: High Voltage (Review)

Jason Statham-powered sequel is all guts and no glory

Sometimes you just want extra pulp with your pulp. And, by golly, this sequel to the pulpy Crank starring tough-guy Jason Statham as Chev Chelios, a supposedly near-perfect human specimen and the perfect killing machine, is all guts (all the time and everywhere) and no glory.

For those who remember the end of the first film, Chev falls from a helicopter to his doom — but no, somehow he survives and his barely beating heart is stolen from his body (the rest of his body is being prepped for harvesting as well, starting with his reproductive parts).

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He gets a replacement ticker that needs constant recharging, which leads him on an epic video-game-styled rampage overflowing with enough sex and violence to keep the mature-rated gamers in a twitchy coma. The rest of us, though, might get burned out by such a high dose of mindless mayhem.

Chev becomes a parody of a parody until in the final moments, when he achieves the serialized horror killer state that he so truly deserves. Next up, expect Crank vs. Jason (the game and the movie and whatever else comes along). Grade: D

Check out theaters and show times, see the film's trailer and find nearby bars and restaurants here.